Love & Zombies
by Maylia
Summary: Follow Harry Potter as he and his dearest friends try and survive in a sudden outbreak of zombies across England. In the overwhelming fear and tragedy love can blossom, but is love going to save Harry again or bring a whole new world of problems at his doorstep? This story WILL contain scenes of detailed sexual nature, do NOT read if you are underage and/or will be offended.


Harry paced up and down his room. His hands were slippery from sweat and his heart was pounding in his chest. The dead were alive and haunting the very Earth he lived upon. When the news about the outbreak happened he thought it would be a simple task to deal with seeing as he lived in a world that had magic. It was not as easy as he or almost anyone else had expected.  
He re-read the letter Hermione had returned to him by owl an hour or so ago.

 _We are on our way Harry. Stay indoors and do not turn your lights on. We will let ourselves in.  
\- Love Hermione._

He folded the letter and tucked it in his back pocket. He was coming to terms with the situation mentally, but logically he could not get his head around it. Zombies – like what he had watched on television – were infecting the world and rapidly breaking down society.  
It was the 31st of August and the next year of Hogwarts was supposed to be starting from tomorrow. He had not received an owl notifying him whether the school would be open, but regardless he was still planning on travelling there. The huge walls, magical barriers and of course Dumbledore, were factors that gave him strong encouragement of the buildings safety.  
His aunt and uncle left with Dudley down to the countryside, they were going to take him but he refused. Without much argument they left in Vernon's estate.

Something clicked downstairs, Harry took his wand from his back pocket and sneaked up to his door. It was rather difficult to see, he had made sure all of his lights were off as according to Hermione in recent letters sent back and forth, the light could attract the dead.  
Casting _lumos_ was tempting, but perhaps a deathtrap, so he did not. He crept into the dark hallway and peered down the stairs. What sounded like one of his aunts prized china plates fell and smashed, he jumped at the sudden sound and dropped his wand which fell from the banisters to the carpet at the bottom. It was too dark to see where it had landed entirely.  
'Idiot!' somebody hissed from the kitchen.  
'Well you won't let me use my eyes!' came another frightened voice.  
'Be quiet! Harry? Harry?' the voice called twice. Harry now realised that it must have been Hermione and Ron.  
'I'm up here,' Harry said as he carefully made his way down the stairs.

They found each other in the hallway, Hermione hugged him and Ron nodded. It was almost cartoon-like. He could only really make out the vagueness of their eyes or their faces when they got close enough.  
'Sorry about the dish smashing, mate,' Ron said.  
'Don't worry about it, my aunt doesn't even use them anyway,' Harry said as he picked up his wand that he found accidentally with his feet.  
'Where are the others?' Harry asked, noticing that nobody else was speaking.  
'Well, we thought we'd come for you first because you said you were on your own, we were going to head for _Luna_ after you,' Hermione said. There was a drop of venom in the way she said Luna, but he didn't want to ask why.

'Harry was you outside a moment ago?' Ron asked.  
'No I've been in my room, why?'  
'Well the front doors not shut.'  
Harry turned and saw the front door was indeed not shut. It was open by an inch and the smallest slither of light from a street lamp was creeping in.  
'Well maybe your uncle forgot to close it when he left?' Hermione suggested as she went past Harry to close it shut.  
'No … they left a few days ago. Didn't you guys come in this way?' Harry asked. There was a growing fear spreading in the hallway now.  
'No we used the garden door, it's easier to be spotted in the street right now,' Ron said.

There was a moments silence, Hermione stood frozen with her back to the door, Ron leaning against the wall to Harry's old room under the stairs and Harry thinking of any reason for the front door to be open.  
'I think we need to go,' Harry whispered.  
'Yes,' they both said together.  
'I'll go get a few things and be back down.'  
'Be careful Harry,' Hermione warned shakily.

Harry sneaked back up stairs with his wand at the ready, it was easily possible that something could be in the home at this very moment that wanted to eat his flesh. A sense of urgency was surging now through his veins.  
He re-entered his room and hastily searched for items he wanted close at hand. It was easier to see in here as the lamp posts outside and the moonlight illuminated his room. He took a backpack and threw in his invisibility cloak, a framed photograph of his mother and father dancing and a change of clothes.  
His backpack was bulging a little and so he decided it was time to head back down. He continued with great caution until he was back with his friends.  
'Alright, so we're going to Luna?' Harry asked, heaving the bag onto his shoulders.  
There was no response, but he could hear them breathing and feel them close.  
'What is it?' he whispered.  
'We can hear something in the living room,' Ron breathed.  
'I think it's one of _them_ ,' Hermione murmured.  
'Alright … alright, so how do we attack it if it is?' Harry said quietly, taking his wand out once more and slowly approaching the living room.  
'I don't know,' Hermione said in a low voice, 'I have never attacked one before.'  
'Well if it is one and magic doesn't work we can just run, right?' Ron's voice wobbled.  
'Yes, if we run then head for the way you came in, but let's see who it is first, _lumos!_ ' Harry said, lighting up the living room with the tip of his wand. Suddenly in his peripheral vision he could see Ron and Hermione standing by his side with their wands poked into the living room.

'Rrrghhh,' something gargled. It sounded quite like a zombie growling in a movie and so Harry was already becoming greatly alert.  
A black figure made out by Harry's light was hunching over at the fireplace. It seemed to be staring at the unlit wood nestled together.  
'Rrfh … RRGGGHH!' it suddenly cried, turning and charging at them. Harry fell back in shock, his light struck the face of their attacker for a second and what he saw was sickening.  
It's skin was purple and deflated, it's teeth were rotting and its gums looked as though they were bleeding. It was bald and split at the scalp in several areas to reveal short, black ravines in it's skull.  
'AHH!' Hermione screamed and collapsed onto Harry. Her sudden weight was crushing and forced the wand from Harry's hand. The light died.  
' _Stupify!_ ' Ron cried, a red beam appeared in the abyss and spread across the body that was so very close to lunging onto Harry and Hermione. It sent the zombie flying back into the living room and smashing against the wall. Something fell with him and cracked.

Hermione fumbled on top of Harry to get up, the softness of her lips swiftly caressed his as she blindly got to her feet and made his face light up. She went a vibrant shade of pink and turned from them both. It was lucky that there were no light in the hallway for either of them to see each others embarrassment.  
'Nice shot, Ron,' Harry said quickly retrieving his wand and readjusting his glasses before he regained his feet in an attempt to play off his and Hermione's brief contact.  
'Yea, bloody hell … I can't believe what's happening,' Ron said.  
' _L-lumos_ ,' Hermione said after a few moments of silence, casting a great light into the living room.  
The zombie appeared to have hit the wall above the fireplace pretty hard. It left a big black bloodstain against the portrait that hung there and was lying with an oddly shaped skull by the sofa.  
'Well at least magic seems to be effective, have you been practising Ron?' Harry asked.  
Ron beamed, 'I was practising on the garden gnomes earlier this summer before everything started happening, it's lucky I did.'  
'We need to get going,' Hermione said, 'come on, there's a portkey outside.'

Using the light from Hermione's wand they carefully tread around the china Ron had obliterated and made their way into the garden.  
The air was cool and soothing and the stars were out. Hermione killed the light protruding from her wand as the moonlight was sufficient enough now.  
In the middle of the garden near Petunia's flower pots was a ruined box. The colours were drained from rainwater but it appeared to be a classic Monopoly box. What was supposed to be red was pink and what was originally white was a filthy grey that sunk in the middle region.  
'Alright, we'll head back to the Burrow then and how are we going to get to Luna? Where is she?' Harry asked, as they gathered around the battered board game.  
Hermione looked away over the neighbours fence and gave a small sigh. It was sassy and curious, but again Harry didn't dare ask her where this attitude from mention of Luna was coming from.  
'Er...' Ron hummed, scratching the back of his head and looking down at the portkey.  
'Let's just get back to the Burrow first where it's safe and we can talk about that later,' Hermione said, turning fast enough for her hair to swing behind her.

They each grabbed a corner of the board. Harry suddenly felt the swirling and almost sickening sensation he felt when he first used a portkey. Because it was less of a shock this time as to what was occurring, he supposed as he spun through the magical tornado that portkeys weren't so bad after all.  
They all slipped away and landed by the side of the blue car Harry and Ron had used in their second year to get to Hogwarts. The car was polished and repaired now after it's fight with nature in the Forbidden Forest. It was a very peculiar story on how it returned to the Weasley family after developing a mind of its own in the forest.  
'Ugh, hate those things,' Ron moaned.  
They got to their feet and followed Ron inside the house. It was warm inside and the light was a shock to Harry's pupils. It was alarming, actually.  
'Why do you have your lights on? Isn't it making this place a target?' Harry asked.  
'No, we are using Kilfizz powder to light the place up,' Ron said proudly.  
'What's Kilfizz?' Harry asked with great confusion.  
'It's Weasley product,' Hermione sighed, 'but Fred and George seem to have actually got this right.' 'They have,' Ron agreed as he fixed Harry some butterbeer in the kitchen, 'they were testing it on a zombie earlier this week, right, and-'

'-don't say that Ronald!' Hermione snapped before sipping some of the butterbeer he made her.  
'What?' Ron said fearfully as he quickly looked at Harry for help.  
'Don't call them _that,_ they're deceased people...' Hermione said.  
'Oh come on Hermione they're called zombies. You've probably watched the same movies I have since we grew up as muggles.' Harry said in support of Ron.  
'Yea and even I know that,' Ron said.  
Hermione glowered and then closed her eyes to let the storm settle.  
Ron and Harry shared a nervous look.  
'Sorry, I'm just getting tense about the whole scenario. I don't like not knowing what is happening, I don't like the idea that it seems nobody is doing anything about it and I most definitely don't like us getting people together without a plan,' she stated.

Harry finished his butterbeer and said, 'I am still going to go to Hogwarts. It's big, it's safe and I'm sure there won't be many of them out there, it's very far away from the big cities where you have said it is growing so fast.'  
Ron frowned and Hermione shook her head, 'I don't think it will be very easy or safe to travel to Hogwarts at all right now. I agree that a building as large and strong as Hogwarts would be safe, but without the Hogwarts express I'm quite unsure as to how we'll get there,' she said.  
'So the express is off then? Hogwarts is not opening?' Harry asked.  
'Nah mate, they are closing it until the...uh,' Ron paused, scared to continue because of Hermione.  
Hermione sighed, 'they're opening up until the zombies have gone down to a safer level. The ministry have actually raised the threat level for muggles and magical persons in England from Normal to Critical because it is supposed to be so bad in the main areas of the country.'  
'I still think Hogwart's is a possibility,' Ron said quietly as he stared into his mug.  
'How?' Harry and Hermione asked together.  
'Well...we _can_ use the car,' Ron suggested, looking more at Hermione than at Harry.

Hermione huffed and left the room leaving Harry and Ron alone. They waited until they heard her shut a door upstairs before talking.  
'What's up with Hermione? She's been acting a little strange,' Harry asked.  
'We were talking about the car before, I thought Hogwarts would be good too but she doesn't want to use the car, she thinks that we'll be in trouble for using it and even expelled.'  
'That's silly though, the ministry has bigger fish to fry right now and Hogwarts isn't even open!' Harry argued.  
'I know mate, I tried telling her but she wouldn't listen.'  
There was silence again for a couple of moments before another question arose from Harry's mouth. 'Are we the only ones here? Where are your parents?'  
Ron went quiet and seemed to become allergic to eye contact for a while, Harry begun to feel terrible for asking.  
'Sorry, it's just mums not going to be around any more and my dads more or less fighting the ministry,' Ron said slowly.  
Harry didn't want to believe what he had just heard, 'I'm sorry Ron, I shouldn't have asked.'  
He was lost for words, he didn't know what quite to say in a situation like this.  
'It's alright,' Ron said through a torn voice, 'I was gonna tell you anyway since you know...'  
The idea that Ron thought Harry knew was painfully intriguing. Harry wanted to ask what it was that he knew because he was unsure what Ron really meant. But the tears Ron was trying to stop falling from his face now was enough for Harry to not ask. The tears were those of a man who had tried to stop the flood as best he could and was still failing. The current was far too strong.  
'I'm sorry, so – why is your dad fighting the ministry?' Harry asked, hoping to change the topic slightly enough to stop Ron from crying.  
Ron sat back with his eyes closed and said nothing for a few moments. In the silence they could hear the creaking of floorboards upstairs as Hermione walked around, probably pacing in a train of thought.  
'Well the ministry promised us protection since dad works there, they told us to not be afraid of being at home and to just continue indoors as normal. So we thought since they told us that that it would be fine,' Ron paused for a moment and Harry realised now that he had stopped crying and was looking very stone-like now. 'The zombies – they broke in one night and just attacked us. There was no protection, we had to fend for ourselves and that's when they got mum. We didn't have our wands, they got us completely unaware so we just used whatever was close at hand, knives, books, dishes...eventually they were all gone.'  
'That's terrible,' Harry said with an ember of rage building in his body from the incompetence of the ministry. Ron nodded breaking the shell of his stone-like figure.  
'Dad...he went absolutely insane and was yelling at all of us, and then crying so loudly...he told us to find somewhere safe and then just used the fireplace to go to the ministry. He said he was going to kill them.' Ron finished.  
'That's horrible Ron, I'm sorry you had to go through something as traumatic as this.'  
Ron shook his head, 'me and Hermione have already discussed this anyway, she came the same day all of this happened the moment I told her. We agreed it would just be best to not really talk about it, we need to keep focused and make sure _we_ are safe.'  
Ron's courage and determination was a pleasant shock to Harry.  
'And I'm sorry I didn't send owl to tell you anything about this earlier but it's difficult with your aunt and uncle,' Ron said quickly, giving Harry some eye contact for the first time in this conversation.  
'Ron don't be silly, I appreciate you telling me all about this now.'  
'Well, now you know and we don't really need to talk about it any more, we just need to stay alive.'  
Harry wanted to ask about Ginny, he wanted to know where she was and if she was safe. But the redness in Ron's eyes and the pain in his voice made Harry think better of it. He would hope to find out later on maybe.

The atmosphere of the Burrow to Harry had never been so dark and bleak. Without the warmth of Molly's smile and her excellent cooking or the banter between Fred and George this home felt more like a hut where people slept to Harry. The creaking of floorboards where Hermione marched upstairs added to the affect of gloominess because the sound was only there due to a disagreement between best friends; the sound was only there because Hermione was suffocating on the fumes of burning books in her mind for a way out of this situation more logical than the car.  
'So Killfiz was it?' Harry asked Ron as they set up another round of butterbeer in the living room.  
'Oh, yea,' Ron croaked before clearing his throat, 'Fred and George were working the moment the ministry said light could attract the zombies. It's basically a _lumos_ spell encased in Sneeve hardened Sneeve blood.'  
'What's a Sneeve?' Harry asked.  
'They're pretty common, if you dig around your garden you might find one. They're like worms but rather than eating the dirt they make tunnels by magically moving the dirt in front of them. They actually go really fast in any direction underground by doing that which is why Fred tells me they're so hard to catch. They look similar to worms but they're normally green and sometimes blue.'  
'That's interesting, but I don't think I've ever seen one. Do you know why their blood is good to put a _lumos_ spell inside?' Harry was happy to ask anything about this topic now, it seemed to lighten the spirit of the place.  
Ron shook his head, 'I haven't really seen much of my brothers for a few days, but the next time I see them I'll definitely ask. All they told us was the zombies don't see the light.'  
Harry looked up at the Killfiz light above. The Sneeve blood was a wicked purple and inside was a dancing ball of light. It was quite remarkable that Fred and George even thought such a thing would work, but then Harry thought to himself that Fred and George were just quite remarkable at creating things completely.  
'I bet you're wondering why the car is back, right?' Ron asked Harry.  
'I am, it looks just as good as it did when we flew it those years ago too. What happened?'  
Ron smiled, 'well it doesn't speak English but from the way it returned my dad thinks it developed some sort of attachment to the Burrow. Like a dog to his owner, they can find their way back home.' 'That's really strange, it's like the car has thoughts and feelings,' Harry said amused.  
'Yup, Hermione thinks the enchantment on it is cruel, she thinks it _has_ developed emotions and thought which is why returned.'  
Harry shook his head, 'it's a car...next she'll be creating little hats with Society for the Promotion of Aluminium Welfare on them.'

They chuckled together.

'Thanks for the butterbeer, I think we need to talk to Hermione soon about what to do,' Harry said after some time.  
Ron nodded, 'if she isn't up for the car I don't mind, but if she still hasn't got a plan...'  
'Yea, if she hasn't got a plan then I think she just needs to use ours. One plan is better than no plan. Why don't we go up and ask her about it?'  
'Sure,' Ron said.  
'We'll have to talk to her about finding Luna too,' Harry reminded Ron.  
'I know, let's go get our sentence,' Ron joked. They both laughed together and went upstairs to see Hermione.


End file.
